SPE 134586

Casing Drilling Application with Rotary Steerable and Triple Combo in New Deviated Wells
in Cira Infantas Field
Edwin López and Pablo Bonilla/Occidental de Colombia; Alfredo Castilla/Halliburton; Javier Rincón/Tesco

Copyright 2010, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Florence, Italy, 19–22 September 2010.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been reviewed
by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or
members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is
restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.

Abstract
La Cira Infantas (LCI) is the oldest Colombian field in production since the beginning of the twentieth century. Hundreds of wells
are scattered throughout the field which is divided in two principal areas, La Cira and Infantas. This field is crossed by faults and is
characterized by depleted and shallow gas bearing formations, challenging drilling activity with both loss circulation and well
control issues.
Casing while drilling (CWD) has moved from being a new technology to one that is now recognized as a practical method of
solving particular drilling problems, optimizing conventional drilling processes and consequently reducing drilling costs. This
paper describes the process from the engineering and operational point of view of deploying CWD technology coupled with rotary
steerable (RSS) and logging while drilling (LWD) tools, transmitting in real-time with electromagnetic (EM) telemetry in this
mature field to improve drilling performance while taking advantage of the automated drilling rig already equipped to deal with
casing and currently under contract in this field drilling wells conventionally.
Five injector wells were drilled. The wells ranged in depth from 3,400 to 4,600 ft MD. The project was completed successfully
with all wells reaching the geological targets, setting the production casing at the desired depths and acquiring the data required by
the Reservoir Team.
Lessons learned were applied from well to well which allowed the reduction of execution time from 7.06 drilling days on the
first well to 3.54 drilling days on the last one, reducing the total well cost 28.1% from the first well to the last.

Introduction
La Cira Infantas is a field that was discovered in 1917 and brought into production a year later. This field is known as the first
oilfield discovered in Colombia. After several secondary recovery projects in the mid 1900’s, this field almost reached its
economic limit, but later on, partners Ecopetrol and OXY decided to implement a waterflood re-development project in 2005,
which has been successful. Part of this success had to do with the optimization of drilling times OXY has achieved in the last few
years. At the time of the execution of the project, the drilling time for wells in La Cira Infantas field averaged 3.81 drilling days
per well.
CWD is the operation where the casing is used to transmit both mechanical and hydraulic energy to the bit. The casing acts like
drill pipe during the drilling phase, but reverts to casing after TD and cementing operations begin. From the industry point of view,
the original focus of CWD was to reduce drilling times by reducing tripping times and other planned and unplanned events.
However, CWD can also be applied to drill through troublesome formations due to the fact that the hole is in position to be cased
as it is being drilled, which adds stability to the drilling process.
CWD systems have demonstrated advantages in vertical and directional applications because:
• The non-production time (NPT) associated to wellbore instability is highly reduced due to the plastering effect formed
around the wellbore.
• Narrow mud weight windows between pore pressure and fracture pressure are improved due to this effect, allowing to
drill sections with different bottom hole pressures.
• Conventional difficulties during tripping out and or running the casing after the hole is already drilled are eliminated. No
need for NPT to do wiper trips for hole conditioning, since the hole is cased as it is drilled.
2 SPE 134586

• Drilling fluid lost to the production zones is normally reduced, which decreases formation damage.
• The normal flat times after reaching TD are reduced due to times required to drill a section and run the casing are now
integrated on a more efficient process.

The goal in the five well project was to evaluate the CWD technology and its application in La Cira Infantas. This goal was
associated with some challenges:
• Reduce operation time against drilling conventional deviated wells by having a competitive rate of penetration (ROP) and
by eliminating conditioning trips or times after reaching TD. Drilling as fast as possible and without wiper trips normally
tends to bring some trouble while either logging the hole, or during running the casing.
• Reach Geological and Geophysicist (G&G) targets and set the casing at the planned depth despite the uncertainty of the
efficiency of drilling with RSS which has never been run in the field.
• Ensure good quality data logs.
• Retrieve the directional bottom hole assembly (BHA) without problems.
• Provide good quality cement to the production department.
• Provide economical savings against conventional drilling.
• No HSE incidents or negative events (no accidents, no injures to people, and no damage to the environment).
• Capture key learning and best practices to improve performance on subsequent wells.

In LCI conventional wells are drilled in two phases: the surface hole is drilled approximately to 350 ft with 12-1/4-in. PDC bit
using a pendulum assembly to minimize departure from vertical, then the hole is cased with 9-5/8-in., K55, 36 lbs/ft, BTC casing.
The production hole is drilled with bi-center bits, ranging from 9-1/2-in. to 9-7/8-in., using a directional BHA, because 95% of the
wells are either “J” or “S” profiles, or require directional work to control verticality or improve directional control for collision
avoidance or well positioning. The total depth ranges from 3,400 to 4,600 ft. Then the well is evaluated with wireline logging,
running a basic set of measurements: Caliper - Gamma Ray - Spontaneous Potential - Resistive - Density and Neutron, being the
SP log widely used for correlation with the older wells and to identify salty water from fresh water bearing sands. Finally, the
production hole is cased with 7 in., N80, 26 lbs/ft, BTC casing.
The five well project was designed to drill the surface hole as is done conventionally, and then drill the production section with
casing to TD without altering the approved mechanical design in conventional drilling.
The main components of CWD are: the surface equipment (that is the rig) and the downhole equipment (the casing and the
retrievable assembly).
The rig must have some equipment unique to CWD:
• A top drive with split blocks, which allows easy access to the string for logging tools and bit change out.
• A casing drive system (CDS) that permits torque transfer while providing hanging support
• Automatic drilling controls that give the driller complete control of the drilling operation from a single console.

The casing is connected to the retrievable BHA by means of a drilling lock assembly (DLA) equipped with slips that lock in
the bottom part of a specially designed casing pipe (CPN) to transmit torque and hydraulics to the BHA.
The retrievable assembly consists of a PDC pilot bit, directional tools, underreamer, pony drill collar and DLA. The pony drill
collar and DLA are located inside the 7 in. casing with the DLA landing inside the casing profile nipple (CPN). The DLA provides
the ability to lock and unlock the drilling assembly both axially and torsionally into the casing string and also connect conventional
drilling tools to the casing. The total length of the BHA bellow the underreamer varies from 140 ft to 150 ft.
The drilling process is as follows: the 12-1/4-in. hole is drilled and the 9-5/8-in. casing is run in the same way as in
conventional drilling. Then a conventional 9-7/8-in. directional BHA is used to drill out and kick off, because there is the risk of
uncertain response from the RSS and also risk of hole opener failure after drill out because its cutting structure is designed to
enlarge in open hole and not to make the drill out. This BHA is pulled out and then the casing while drilling (CWD) operations
starts: a 6 in. pilot hole is drilled with a 4-3/4 in. BHA equipped with RSS + LWD BHA, that allows 3-D directional control while
maintaining the rotation of the entire assembly; once the logging tools have logged the formation in a hole diameter of 6 in., the
hole is enlarged to 8-3/4-in. with the use of a hole opener or underreamer just beneath the casing so the casing pass through the
hole (Fig. 1). The casing is set at the planned depth and the BHA is retrieved with 3-1/2-in. drill pipe, with a fishing tool on the
lower end that latches on top of the DLA; weight is applied to retract the internal slips, unlocking the BHA from the CPN. The
cement retainer, which works as a float collar, is set with wireline; then the cementing operations start as in any conventional
operation. Finally the rig is released.
SPE 134586 3

Locking Mechanism – BHA part BHA (~140 ft long)

Drill Lock
Pony DC Monel UR MWD/LWD RSS
Assembly (DLA)

Internal
Stabilizers

Locking Mechanism – Casing part

Pup Joint Casing Profile CSG Shoe Joint Directional

Nipple (CPN) Guide Shoe
Fig. 1–Casing While Drilling BHA with RSS + LWD BHA.

Project Development

Engineering
Planning. There was a thorough planning stage to identify the risks associated with the project, operational limits of the rig and
tools to be used before starting the operations. A risk assessment was performed detailing the measures to manage the risks
encountered with this new application. In terms of the operations, the main considerations taken were the suitability of the rig; the
casing to be used, which should be the one used in conventional drilling; the directional control and LWD measurements; drilling
bit; hole cleaning, specifically managing the ECD; drilling parameters; and well control. However, it is worth mentioning that each
well required significant planning sessions and daily post appraisal meetings at the rig site and the office upon completion of each
well step to take advantage of the learning just acquired and to build a consistent learning curve.

Torque
The casing is the same used to case off any well in LCI, but to be able to withstand the extra stresses due to the high RPM’s
torque, rings are placed so there is metal-to-metal contact in the buttress connection. Also, cold welded centralizers are placed
along the casing to improve standoff for cementing.
During the planning stage of the project, torque and drag simulations were made. Due to the light rheological properties of the
mud, compared with the conventional wells, friction factor of 0.3 for open hole and 0.2 for cased hole were used, resulting in 7000
lbf-ft of torque for 20 degree wells.
The 7 in., N80, 26 lbs/ft, BTC, R3 casing withstands up to 7000 lbs-ft of torque, and for this reason it was decided to install
MLT (Multi Lobe Torque) torque rings, increasing the torque capacity to 20,080 lbf-ft. The torque rings were assembled on the
racks after the inspection of each joint (Fig. 2). When making the connection the pin of the casing joint must be in contact with the
top of the torque ring to provide the added capacity of delta torque for continuing the drilling operations.
The pickup, slack off and rotating weight simulation showed the rig had enough capacity for drilling with casing. Actual data
were compared with the planned data and it was observed that the friction factor values were closer to 0.4 to 0.45. These values
were taken just after drilling the joint, and therefore it had cuttings in the annulus.

Fig. 2–Multi Lobe Torque Rings installed in the casing box.

4 SPE 134586

Hydraulics and Mud Properties

Because the clearance between the hole enlarged to 8-3/4-in. and the 7 in. casing is small, the annular velocity is high, thus the
annular pressure loss is high as well. For CWD, the flow rate was reduced considerably. In a conventional well this section is
drilled with 700 GPM with an annular velocity of 220 ft/min ensuring hole cleaning. When drilling with casing with 350 GPM the
annular velocity is 268 ft/min and with 420 GPM the annular velocity is 420 ft/min, enough to ensure hole cleaning, however,
ECD is increased.
To keep the ECD as low as possible the mud was designed to have low rheological properties Table 1. Weighted pills are not
recommended, if it is necessary, just pump viscous pills or circulate the well to reduce the cuttings loads in the annulus.
It is recommended to add lubricant in a concentration between 1 or 2% in volume if high torque values are observed.

TABLE 1. HIGH PERFORMANCE WBM PROPERTIES USED IN THE PROJECT.

High Performance WBM Properties
Properties Units Min Max
Density lbm/gal 8.7 9.1
Funnel Viscosity Sec/qt 37 45
Plastic Viscosity cp 10 15
Yield Point lbf/100_ft2 8 13
API Filtrate cc/30min 4 5
MBT ppb eq. 17.5
Ph 9 10.50

Well Control
Before starting CWD operations it is required to know the barriers and the procedures to control the well if necessary.
As the rig did not have 7 in. pipe rams, it was decided that the annular preventer must be used if it was necessary to close the
well. Additional to this, the procedure for closing the well was defined in accordance to the activity that was in progress at the time
of influx.
If the influx is presented while drilling, the annular preventer should be closed and the driller’s well control method (Oxy main
well control procedure) can start.
If the influx is presented when performing the operations to retrieve the BHA, the annular preventer must be closed and the
Thread Casing Drive (TCD) connected (Fig. 3). This tool has a 3-1/2-in. IF connection to connect directly to the drill pipe, and
also a 7 in. BTC connection to connect to the casing. This tool has a circulating port, allowing it to circulate inside the drill pipe
and the annular between casing ID and drill pipe OD. If needed, this tool allows reciprocating the BHA and the casing at the same
time.

Threaded Casing Drive

The threaded casing drive (TCD) is the tool used during well control situations due to its capacity to connect drill pipe and casing
simultaneously.

Fig. 3–Thread Casing Drive (TCD).

BHA Retrieval Methods

There are two options to retrieve the BHA when the casing is at total depth, with drill pipe and with wireline. As the rig has the
split-block designed specially for CWD operations, the retrieving tool is pumped down threading inside the top drive and CDS
until the DLA is unlatched from the CPN. Following the advice of other OXY operations around the world with CWD, in regards
to reliability of the retrieval method and avoid miss-run trips, it was decided to retrieve the BHA with drill pipe, installing the
Mechanical Retrieve and Pulling Tool (MRPT) at the bottom of the drill pipe, this tool latches on the top of the DLA and unlatches
the BHA from the CPN. The drill pipe used for this operation was 3-1/2-in.
SPE 134586 5

Cementing and Centralization

Once the BHA retrieving operation is finished, the casing is left in position without any float system to retain the cement and
prevent the U effect. To eliminate this, a cement retainer was run with wire line, and set by CCL correlation above the CPN
providing around 35 ft of shoe track. The cement retainer has two float valves to counteract the back flow.
The centralizers used are 7 in. x 8 in. rigid type (Fig. 4) and were installed with the following criteria to provide good standoff
for the cement quality job.

• One centralizer, each three joints in the producer zone.

• One centralizer, each six joints in the tangent.
• One centralizer, each three joints in the curve.
• Two centralizers from the surface casing shoe to surface.

The average total number of centralizers used in each well was 26, without presenting any increase in the torque and drag while
drilling.

Fig. 4–7 in. x 8 in. rigid centralizers.

Equipment

Surface Equipment
Rig. The rig used for the project is compatible with CWD operations, programmable logic controller (PLC) controlled, uses
electrically powered drawworks, mud pumps and top drive, and drilling contractor’s Autodriller Software capable of precisely
controlling the drilling parameters (WOB, Delta P and Torque) required to produce maximum ROPs.
The rig is able to efficiently deliver the Hoisting, Lowering and Rotating speeds and the Hydraulics required to perform CWD
delivering constant WOB with accurate Delta P and Torque on Bottom increasing the instantaneous ROP. In addition to
automation, the rig is equipped with:
• A CDS that permits torque transfer while providing hanging support
• A top drive with split blocks, which allows to retrieve the BHA with wireline while maintaining the CDS engaged in the
casing acting as a barrier for well control event because it allows to circulate with wireline inside the casing and the top
drive. This feature was not utilized because the BHA was recovered with drill pipe from the initial planning stage.

Casing Drive System. The current rig fleet used in the field is composed of two similar automated rigs already equipped with
Tesco’s CDS which allows simultaneous rotation, reciprocation and circulation of the casing string at any time, at RPM’s and
flowrates similar to the ones used in conventional drilling Fig. 5. Depending on the casing size either an internal or external drive
tool can be used. For the 7 in. casing the external drive tool is used. The CDS is connected to the Saver Sub of the Top Drive
which allows to rotate the internal axis connected at the drive tool, rotating the casing at the same RPM’s that the Top Drive is
rotating. The CDS has a slip assembly to grip the exterior of the casing and an internal spear assembly to provide a fluid seal to the
pipe. The CDS is made up with the use of an automated crane installed in the tool box which lifts the tool from the tool box to the
rotary table without people intervention; and is stabbed and made up to the stump with the top drive.
6 SPE 134586

API 6 5/8” REG RH CONNECTION

HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR

LENGTH 10’

Internal Drive Tool External Drive Tool

TENSION & TORQUE GRAPPLES
Casing: 7” – 20” Casing: 3 ½” – 8 3/4”

CUP PACKER

STABBING GUIDE

Fig. 5–Casing Drive System (CDS).

Wellheads. Due to availability, the first two wells used conventional wellheads; however for the third and all remaining wells
the Drilling Time Optimization (DTO) well heads became available (Fig. 6). The advantage of the DTO wellhead on the surface
phase is that this allows installing the section A on the surface casing and nipple up the BOP’s immediately after finishing the
surface cementing job because there is no need to wait on cement. Additionally, for the production phase, the casing hanger is
already attached to the last joint of casing allowing to hang the casing before finishing the cementing job, after that the BOP’s can
be nipple down immediately.
The advantages of the DTO are:
• Approximately five hours saved per well.
• When reach TD the DTO allows to hang the production casing with the casing hanger on top of the section A to recover
the retrievable BHA so the BOP’s can be closed on the drill pipe in case of a well control event.
• Complete elimination of the use of winches to thread the section A, welding jobs in the production casing with the BOP’s
hanging.

Running Tool

Casing Hanger 7”

Lateral Valve Section A

Section A

7” Production Casing

Fig. 6–Drilling Time Optimization (DTO) wellheads.

Landing Sub. When using the conventional well heads a landing sub is used to hang the casing on top of the bushing, allowing
the retrieval of the directional BHA without any stick up of casing above the drill floor level so the drill pipe handling tools can be
installed without any restriction at the level of the rotary table (Fig. 7). The only issue with using this tool is that the BOP’s were
isolated, and in case there was a well control incident the Threaded Casing Drive (TCD) must be connected.
SPE 134586 7

Fig. 7–Landing sub.

Downhole Equipment
Retrievable Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) – Bit. A key component to guarantee drilling performance is the drilling bit. Since
the directional contractor required a special long gauge bit, it was necessary to obtain one from one of the bit providers. There have
been good experiences running 8-1/2-in. to 9-7/8-in. PDC or bi-center four-blade bits with 19 mm cutters, but there was no
experience with smaller bits so a five-blade 19 mm cutters 6-in. bit was chosen since this was the bit available for the RSS
application. The flow channels proved to be a restriction for proper flow and cuttings evacuation increasing the pump off effect on
the BHA affecting the effective ROP and WOB transfer. Conventional PDC bits with four blades and 19 mm cutters were picked
out (Fig. 8). But to mimic the long gauge feature, a special designed sleeve with four blades was fabricated (Fig. 9). The system
was deployed successfully, although it is worth mentioning that different nozzle configurations were available, some with variable
nozzle size, some with fixed nozzle size, which proved to be inefficient since they imposed restrictions on the hydraulic
horsepower that could be obtained.

1&2 3 4 5

Fig. 8–Bits used across the project. Fig. 9–Long gauge special sleeve, four blades.

The Pilot Hole. The initial well design was conceived to be executed with a conventional directional assembly using a Positive
Displacement Mud Motor (PDM) and LWD Tools for formation evaluation. LWD tools should be able to provide gamma ray,
resistivity and neutron-density measurements. The latter requires contact with the formation through the use of an instrumented
stabilizer; if not, most of the measurements will occur in the mud. For this reason, hole enlargement has to take place above the
LWD tools, so the decision was made to use RSS and LWD triple-combo, accompanied with a Pressure While Drilling Sub
(PWD) to monitor the ECD, thus circulation to improve hole cleaning is governed by ECD measurements rather than simulations
or calculations.
Since the very thin interbedded sands are detected by using the conventional SP log, it was decided that the project could be
executed initially by using only injectors wells. As the conventional Spontaneous Potential (SP) is not available in LWD tools, the
operator’s petrophysicist developed and tested a synthetic log and also cased hole logging, with no acceptable results.
The telemetry used was the Electromagnetic System (EM), which was already in use in the field. This technology is capable of
handling large amounts of data and sending it up to surface at high transmission rates.

The Enlarged Hole

Underreamer. The underreamer (UR) is a custom designed part of the CWD System. The UR is attached to a drill collar or a
non magnetic drill collar in between the casing guide shoe and instrumented BHA. It follows the pilot bit down the hole reaming
the pilot hole large enough to permit the casing to pass.
8 SPE 134586

The UR drills while allowing:

• Sufficient fluid to flow through the tool in order to operate the directional assembly.
• Good flow to the pilot bit.

It can be used to drill and/or open up a sloughed in hole. When drilling is complete, the UR, as part of the retrievable BHA, is
tripped out through the inside of the casing.
The activation force is created by the differential pressure between the tool bore and the BHA/borehole annulus acting on the
difference in the two seal areas. The pressure differential that activates the underreamer is created by the pressure loss of all tools
that may be located downstream of the underreamer (Fig. 10).

Fig. 10–Underreamer extended and cutting structure.

Attaching the BHA to the Casing

Drill Lock Assembly and Casing Profile Nipple. The BHA is suspended with the Drill Lock Assembly (DLA), which is part of
the retrievable BHA and has stop dogs on it to latch inside the casing profile nipple (CPN). It has internal fixtures which allow
locating the DLA correctly inside the casing so there is transmission of axial movement and torque is part of the casing and is
located at the bottom of the casing string, just above the directional guide shoe (Fig. 11). In addition, when the DLA is engaged
correctly inside the CPN, bypass valves are closed so the fluid goes directly from inside the casing to the inside of the retrievable
BHA without losses in the transition so full hydraulic horsepower is available at the bit.
If any component of the retrievable BHA needs to be changed, the DLA can be unlatched and then latched again with the
Hydraulic Setting Tool (HST) applying hydraulic energy to shift a mandrel down to lock the axial locks and torque dogs into
place, all of this without tripping the casing (Fig. 16).
The retrievable BHA used in this project stick outs beneath the casing approximately 140 to 150 feet.

Fig. 11–Drill Lock Assembly (DLA).

Hydraulic Setting Tool (HST)

The Hydraulic Setting Tool (HST) is used to deploy then set the Drill Lock Assembly (DLA) inside the Casing Profile Nipple
(CPN). The HST setting procedure is controlled by applied pressure from the mud pump. Once the DLA has landed inside the
CPN at the correct depth, a ball is circulated down the drill pipe and lands inside the HST.
An increase in pressure generates enough force to activate the setting mechanism of the HST. This force is then transferred into
the Setting Sleeve on the HST which is then used to set the DLA in the Casing Profile Nipple (Fig. 12).

Fig. 12–Hydraulic Setting Tool (HST).

Directional Guide Shoe

The Directional Guide Casing Shoe (DGS) is configured for deviated well bores with a flat bottom and double tapered pad profiles
to provide standoff and wear resistance. The internal diameter is beveled to facilitate tool passage, and this profile is well suited for
“sliding” when used with directional drilling tools.
SPE 134586 9

The GDS serves the following important functions:

• Guide the casing string into the open hole.
• Provide early warning of under gauge hole conditions by increasing torque detected at the surface when hole size
decreases due to cutting tool wear.
• Reinforce the end of the casing and facilitate washing over the BHA when required.

The body has a drift diameter larger than the next drill bit size to ensure that no hard materials need to be drilled up, when the
next size string is run. The leading edge of the reamer has a generous 'lead-in' chamfer to ensure that all tools can be run and
retrieved without hanging-up (Fig. 13).

Fig. 13–Directional guide Shoe.

Retrieval Tools
Hydraulic Safety Release Tool (HSRT). The hydraulic safety release tool (HSRT) is a ball or tubing plug-operated release sub
which provides an emergency release facility to be used in the event that it is necessary to separate the bottomhole assembly
(BHA) from the drill pipe during CWD operations. The HSRT operates using shear screws, a 2-3/8-in. shearing ball or 2-7/8-in.
tubing plug (Fig. 14).

Fig. 14–Hydraulic Safety Release Tool (HSRT).

Mechanical Release Pulling Tool (MRPT). The MRPT is used to mechanically release and retrieve the bottom hole assembly
(BHA) from the casing profile nipple (CPN). The MRPT can only be used with drill pipe because weight is needed to
mechanically release the Drill Lock Assembly (DLA) from the CPN.
The Grapple Cap on the MRPT slides over the grapple threads on the DLA Element Sleeve and pushes down on the DLA Lock
Sleeve. The string weight prior to latching onto the DLA is noted. The weight indicator will drop as soon as the MRPT lands on
the DLA.
Once the MRPT has landed, the drill pipe is pulled into tension. When pulled into tension, the Lock Dogs on the DLA become
unrestrained and the Element Sleeve/Cone is able to move up, releasing the DLA Axial Locks from the CPN. The
MRPT/DLA/BHA assembly is then retrieved to surface (Fig. 15).
10 SPE 134586

Fig. 15–Mechanical release pulling tool (MRPT). Fig. 16–Setting and retrieving operations summary.

Execution

Well #1 – “S” Profile

In this well, the surface casing was set at 319 ft, then drilled out with a directional assembly and 9-7/8-in. bi-center bit, and drilled
formation to 575 ft, building angle above 5° providing a rat hole for the CWD assembly to allow the underreamer to expand the
arms in open hole instead of the inside of the casing. Then it was drilled from 575 to 4538 ft (TD) with casing building angle to
10° and dropping to 1° (Fig. 17).
Once the BHA was in position to continue drilling with the CWD assembly, the drilling parameters were conservative while
observing the tool’s response. Drilling parameters began with 200 – 280 GPM and 70 – 90 RPM, WOB: 8 – 14 Klbs. With these
drilling parameters the ROP was low, in order to improve it the drilling parameters were changed increasing the surface RPM to 90
– 120 and the flow rate to 420 GPM progressively. The mud weight window was between 8.8 – 9.1 ppg according to the mud
program.
The average ROP with a TFA 0.432 in2 was 52.2 ft/hr, affected by the frequent necessity to stop drilling to recover signal from
the LWD tools and the RSS. The data list arranged for this well was large, and if the signal was lost the whole list was lost as well,
requiring additional time to get all the data and transmit it to surface.
Another effect observed during drilling was the hydraulic lift caused by the small junk slot area to evacuate the cuttings from
the bit, observing an apparent WOB applied over the BHA, when this happened it was necessary to pick up the BHA from bottom
and reset the WOB to continue drilling with the actual readings on surface.
The BHA was recovered successfully with 3-1/2-in. drill pipe. In conventional drilling, the CDS is used for cementing
operations; in this job, a 7 in. BTC pin x 4-1/2-in. XH box crossover was connected to the landing sub. The cement retainer was
installed successfully and the cementing job for the production casing was performed without incidents.
Prior to start of the Well #2, a meeting with all service companies was held to review all the operations and capture the lessons
learned to be implemented in the next well.
SPE 134586 11

Fig. 17–Type S directional profile.

Well #2 – “S” Profile

The Well #2 was drilled immediately after the Well #1 was finished, this well was drilled directionally to 4,616 feet to 10.5° and
dropped to 1°.
In this well, the directional assembly with the 9-7/8” bi-center bit was used to drill to 896 feet, at this point the inclination was
10°. This helps in the drilling performance since the curve is already built, and the RSS just needs to keep the angle and drop back
to vertical.
Drilling began with more aggressive drilling parameters than the first well. The flow rate was 350 GPM and 130 RPM were
used on surface with an average ROP of 64 ft/hr, 22.6 % more than the average of the first well. The TFA used was 0.403 in2.
When drilling at 3200 ft, the communication with the LWD tools was lost, therefore it was necessary to retrieve the BHA to
replace the LWD tools. The casing was hanged on the landing joint and the BHA was retrieved with drill pipe to surface
successfully. The LWD tools were replaced and the DLA was hung on the CPN with help of the HST.
Drilling was resumed with the CWD assembly reaching TD at 4,616 ft with a flow rate between 375 – 380 GPM and 115 – 140
RPM. The average ROP of this section from 3200 ft decreased to 56.6 ft/hr. The mud weight window was between 8.6 to 9.0 ppg
as the program established.
To retrieve the BHA, the landing sub was used to hang the casing on the bushing. The cement retainer was set with wireline;
however a lightning storm delayed the job for several hours due to the explosives needed for the job. The cementing job was
performed with success and the cement was pumped trough the crossovers as in the Well #1.
After the LWD tools were checked in the shop, it was detected that the batteries were assembled wrong. This reduced the
usable time to the half, so at the moment when communication was lost with the tools, the batteries were fully depleted.

Well #3 – “J” Profile

The Well #3 was drilled almost one month after the Well #2 was drilled in order to implement the lessons learned from the two
previous wells.
This well was drilled with directional assembly and 9-7/8-in. bit from 336 ft to 942 ft; at this depth the angle was 10.2°. From
this point, drilling continued with casing to 3,400 ft (TD). The bit used had four blades, 19mm cutters and TFA 0.491in2. This bit
is more aggressive than the used in the previous wells (five blades, 19mm cutters). The flow rate was increased to 420 GPM
achieving better hydraulic horse power. This was possible mainly due to a better bit’s jets configuration. Also, the RPM’s were
increased from 120 to 160 RPM. The average ROP increased from 52.2 ft/hr (Well #1) and 56 – 64 ft/hr (Well #2) to 81.5 ft/hr
(Well #3). In addition, the ECD was monitored using an APWD sensor (Annular Pressure While Drilling) and circulation was
decided based on the actual readings of cutting load in the annular (Fig. 18).
The conventional wellhead was replaced by the DTO wellhead. This was not a change related to the CWD project, but it was
due to the technology implementation in the LCI wells.
12 SPE 134586

Once TD was reached, the casing was hung on the casing hanger with the CDS instead of the landing sub with the advantage of
allowing to circulate the well in both annulars: open hole – casing OD and casing ID – BHA OD at the same time. It was necessary
to install a line from the section A valve to the choke manifold to circulate the casing or an influx, if necessary. The casing was
circulated every 1000 ft while pulling the BHA.
Due to the new procedure related to the DTO wellhead used, the main function of the BOP was recovered, so the lubricator
was not required when wireline was used to set the cement retainer. This saved the time used to rig up the lubricator maintaining
the well control barrier as in conventional drilling.
The CDS was used to perform the cementing operation instead of the crossovers, which saved rig up time and the risk to
damage the BTC thread when unscrewed to drop the cementing plugs.

Fig. 18–Cuttings size CwD.

Well #4 – “J” Profile

The Well #4 was drilled applying all the lessons learned identified from the previous three wells.
This well was drilled with the directional assembly with the 9-7/8-in. bi-center bit from 336 ft to 1,119 ft, the deviation at this
point was 17.4°. Then continue drilling with the CWD assembly to 3,548 ft (TD).
The bit was fitted with interchangeable nozzles. The new TFA is 0,407 in2. The average ROP with this bit was 78.5 ft/hr
against 81.5 ft/hr from the previous well. It apparently was lower than the other bit, but in this well the drilling operation was
interrupted due to partial mud losses and complications due to a piece of rag stuck in the float valve.
With the fixed nozzle bit, it was necessary to install 2 x 8/32-in. nozzles to compensate the 2 x 16/32-in. fixed nozzles to
improve the TFA. When the run on Well #3 was finished, high erosion on the blades was observed on the bit. In the bit used on
Well #4 there was no erosion on the blades, only the port nozzle o-ring showed some level of wash out. The flow rate was 430
GPM.
An 11 ft pup joint was included in the casing string to correlate the depth, which proved to be an easier and faster way to set
the cement retainer.

Mud Losses. While drilling at 1,756 ft partial mud losses were observed. Drilling was stopped and 40 lbs. of LCM pill (9,2
ppg, 22 lbs/bbl, 120 vis) were pumped. When ready to make the connection to continue drilling, the CDS was released from the
joint and the driller didn’t observe the pressure gauge drop to 0 psi. The trapped pressure damaged the packer cup of the CDS. At
the same time, the U-tube effect allowed the mud flow to continue inside the casing. The well was closed to check pressures, and
proceeded to change the packer cup on the CDS with the casing flowing.
After changing the packer cup and returning to drilling, it was necessary to open the discharge valve in the mud pump to
release the trapped pressure for the next four connections. After releasing the CDS from the joint, the mud continued to flow inside
the casing, which indicates the float valve failed to hold pressure. After the fourth or fifth connection, the float valve started to
operate correctly again. After recovering the BHA and inspecting the float valve, a piece of rag was found stuck inside the spring
of the float valve.

Well #5 – “J” Profile

The Well #5 was the last approved well for the CWD project. During the execution all the lessons learned collected in the previous
four wells were applied. The total depth for this well was 4,026 ft and 14° (Fig. 19).
Drilling was executed as in the last three wells, building the final angle with a conventional BHA. A four blade 19mm cutter 6-1/8-
in. PDC bit was made up to the sleeve designed especially to be used with the RSS. The main advantage of this bit over the
previous ones is that it has deeper flow channels between the blades, which permits to evacuate the cuttings easily and reduce
drastically the hydraulic lift effect. The average ROP reached in this well was 113.6 ft/hr, 44.7% higher than the last well (78.5
ft/hr) and 39.3% higher of the best ROP reached in the entire project. Another advantage of the last bit is that all the nozzles are
interchangeable, in this opportunity used 4 x 11/32-in. which represents a TFA of 0.371 in2, the minimum TFA used in the
previous wells was 0,407 in2. The bit didn’t show any signs of erosion using 430 GPM, the same flow rate used in the previous
SPE 134586 13

wells. Table 2 shows all the drilling parameters used during the five wells.
The directional drilling simulator results showed that the position of the In Line Stabilizer had to be changed to have better
contact with the formation and get an effective directional response from the RSS as a result of the hole enlargement as the bit size
changed from 6 in. to 6-1/8-in. The previous assemblies had the same components in the same position; just the stabilizer gauge
was adjusted after the first well from 5-15/16-in. to 5-7/8-in..
The instantaneous ROP was higher than 250 ft/hr with excellent LWD data quality.
Seven drums of lubricant were used, five drums more than the previous well to increase the concentration and mitigate the
ROP decrease after C1 formation to TD. This is normal in the field.
Before starting to drill each joint, the position and deflection of the RSS were verified to mitigate the probability of creating
high dog legs. The answer time to receive and emit signal of the tools was reduced to avoid the increase the connection times.
TABLE 2. DRILLING PARAMETERS CwD vs. CONVENTIONAL DRILLING.
DRILLING
CONVENTIONAL WELL #1 WELL # 2 WELL # 3 WELL # 4 WELL # 5
PARAMETERS
DEPTH (Ft) 333-3372 575-4538 896-4616 942-3400 1119-3548 1298-4025
FOOTAGE (Ft) 3039 3963 3720 2458 2429 2727
WOB (KLBS) 12-15 8-18 10-19 8-14 10-17 11-20
GPM 700 200-420 350-380 350-420 320-420 350-420
RPM 214-264 75-120 115-140 120-165 120-160 100-160
TFA (In) 0.562 0.432 0.403 0.491 0.407 0.371
HSI 7.16 6.87 5.85 5.67 8.18 9.12
ROP AVG Ft/Hr 138 52.2 60.98 81.5 78.5 113.6
% NPT/(Drilling Days) 0.04 9.4 26.2 0 0.6 1.2
TQ (Lbs-f/Ft) 1000-5000 2000-7000 3000-10000 2000-8000 3000-8000 3000-9000
PRESSURE (Psi) 2400-3000 780-2900 1450-2500 2300-3000 2500-3800 2100-3900

Retrieving the BHA

Since the 6-1/8-in. bit has a smaller clearance than the 6 in. bit with the casing the recovery of the retrievable BHA was subjected
to larger drag than in the previous retrieval operations. This forced the pull out of the BHA with controlled speed of 90 ft/hr to
around 2,000 ft from this depth and after circulating out any debris; the retrieval speed was increased to 200 ft/hr, observing
normal tension until surface was reached.

Fig. 19–Type J directional profile.

14 SPE 134586

Drilling Performance
The graphs depict the continued improvement from well to well due to the application of lessons learned and the positive
interaction with the service companies to obtain the best performance of each tool or process as possible to continually improve the
operation (Fig. 20)

CASING WHILE DRILLING PERFORMANCE vs. CONVENTIONAL WELL

ADPCW - 5.55 Days

500
BDPCW - 2.18 Days

1000 WELL # 1- 7.06 Days

WELL # 2 - 7.54 Days

1500
WELL # 3 - 3.69 Days

2000 WELL # 4 - 3.60 Days

DEPTH (FT)

WELL # 5 - 3.54 Days

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000
-2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
TIME (DAYS)

Fig. 20–Casing while drilling performance.

The performance of the Well #5, compared with the average performance when drilling conventionally in the LCI field by the
end of the project summarizes the realization of the learning curve.
In the Well #5, the total feet per drilling day was higher than the average wells drilled at 4000 ft (Fig. 21).
FEET PER DAY CwD vs. CONVENTIONAL WELLS

16 0 0

14 0 0

12 0 0 1136
1020
FT/ DRILING DAY

984
10 0 0 922

800

637 610
600

400

200

0
WELL # 1 WELL # 2 WELL # 3 WELL # 4 WELL # 5 CONVENTIONAL
WELLS AVG.

WELL

Fig. 21–Feet per Day CWD vs. conventional wells.

The average total cost of deviated wells drilled conventionally is about 40% less than the cost of CWD wells, but if compared
to wells where mud losses were experienced this percentage reduces drastically; even in some cases the total cost of the CWD
wells is lower than the total cost of conventional wells with mud losses.
The cost per foot of the Well #5 is still greater than the average cost of a well drilled conventionally. However there is
opportunity to improve the time and cost of the operations, such as BHA retrieval method, pump down displacement plug, bit
selection, etc. This makes the application more attractive even if compared to wells without mud losses (Fig. 22).
SPE 134586 15

COST PER FOOT CwD vs. CONVENTIONAL WELLS

300

256
243
250
223
217
COST PER FOOT USD 208
200

150
15 0

10 0

50

0
WE LL # 1 WE LL # 2 WE LL # 3 WE LL # 4 WE LL # 5 C O N V E N T IO N A L
WE LLS A V G .

WELLS
Fig. 22–Cost Per Foot CWD vs. conventional wells.

Lessons Learned
After the CWD project was finished, lessons learned were identified to be implemented in future opportunities to drill with the
same technology in the field or in other business units. Also, during the execution of the project, lessons learned were captured
well by well and the learning applied as the project progressed, this lead to an outstanding advancement in the learning curve
which benefited both the time and the economics of the project. The following are the main lessons learned per service:

Operator
• The pre-spud meeting held with the crews helps to guide the people in the new operations and tools. This meeting
permitted people to understand the Project, know about the CWD procedures and understand the function and objective of
each tool. The performance of the crews during the CWD activities exceeded the expectations.
• The casing tally must be prepared in advance to match the depth of the drilling program, taking into account that the
torque rings must be placed safely in the joints, if they are beveled, the torque ring can either slide or be misplaced,
becoming useless for the job.
• The use of DTO well heads provides safety to the retrieving operations because it allows use of the annular preventer on
the 3-1/2-in. drill pipe. In addition, it saves time when compared to the conventional wellheads.
• The bit must have interchangeable nozzles to be able to manage the drill bit hydraulics properly and must have deep flow
channels to evacuate the cuttings. The size of the bit has to be evaluated against the casing drift because the smaller the
clearance the harder it is to retrieve the BHA since the mud column, with cuttings, is trapped providing additional drag
and increasing the probability of getting the BHA stuck.
• For this project, twice the length of the stick out was added to the depth of the well so when performing the BHA retrieval
the 4-3/4-in. BHA was laying in an 8-3/4-in. hole instead of the 6 in. hole, thus reducing the risk of getting the BHA
differentially stuck in the open hole. It is recommended to evaluate this practice to reduce the time consumed drilling this
additional length.
• Once the BHA is in the position to be retrieved spot a weighted pill covering the volume below the directional guide shoe
and the TD, acting as a plug to support the cement slug to the bottom of the hole and thus compromising the cementing
job.
• Check the pressure in the stand pipe before disconnecting the CDS from the joint. If there is trapped pressure, there is the
risk to damage the cup when the CDS is released.
• Install a flag joint in the casing string, to correlate the CCL faster when running the cement retainer with wireline.
• The instantaneous ROP can be increased above 250 ft/hr. If data is lost, the joint can be re-logged to obtain good quality
logs.
• Use PWD instead of the pump off test as criteria for circulating for hole cleaning.
16 SPE 134586

• When using the DTO well heads, after the cement retainer has been set, nipple up the CDS to perform the cementing job,
this prevents torquing the ACME connection of the running tool when the crossover is used to latch the tool on top of the
casing hanger for cementing.
• Check that all the 3-1/2-in. handling tools meet the requirements of the top drive. The elevator has to be designed with the
same capacity of the link tilts. If the inadequate one is installed, it will take more time and will be risky to close and open
the elevator.

Directional Drilling Contractor

• Since the rig is designed to handle a single joint range three drill pipe with around additional 10 feet clearance, all the
LWD and directional tools must be tested and configured in the horizontal position before the tools are made up.
• Setup, test and transmit through Wellsite Information Transfer Specification (WITS) all the information required by the
service contractors so the information used to monitor drilling is consistent, specially the depth which is used to generated
the LWD logs.
• Configure the tools in order to transmit short data lists, so if data is lost it will take a short time to recover it.
• Verify that all surface equipment used for communication with the downhole tools is in working condition, without any
leaks, with proper ground and isolation.
• Use the PWD data to monitor the ECD and optimize the circulating time in connections, this reduces the pump off times
and improves the average ROP.
• Changed BHA by increasing distance between ILS (which was also reduced from 5-15/16-in. to 5-7/8-in.) to add
flexibility to the BHA to increase pad contact from RSS to formation.
• Before start of drilling every joint should verify that the RSS received the commands. If the commands are not received,
the RSS will deflect at 100% creating higher dog legs.

Drilling Fluids Contractor

• Mud Weight (MW) reduced from the initial range of 8.7 to 9.2 ppg to a final range of 8.6 to 9.0 ppg to maintain low ratio
mass/unit of time (lbm/min) through MWD/LWD tools to reduce the probability of washing the tools out. Also keep low
rheology mud PV: 10-15, YP: 6-10 to help manage the ECD because the largest pressure loss occurs in the annular rather
that inside the pipe as in conventional drilling. It is also worth to mention that the reduction of MW did not affect
wellbore stability. However in the event of a well control incident the MW can be increased without affecting the drilling
operation.
• Hole cleaning is maximized by circulating the lag showing less than 3% of cuttings load in the mud. Pumping weighted
pills do not help; they rather affect the ECD with increasing the probability of inducing mud losses.
• Have 250 to 270 API shakers screens in stock to reduce the mud dilution.

Drilling Bits Contractor

• When tagging bottom reset, the WOB to eliminate the pump off effect and then the effective WOB can be realized.
• Work with the bit supplier companies to design the appropriate bit for this project based on the lessons learned captured
by the use of the four bits in all the wells. This is summarized in the capability to change all the nozzles and have large
junk slot area for cutting evacuation. In addition to the aforementioned a conventional PDC bit can be used in conjunction
with a customized sleeve to mimic specific bit features, this adds alternatives for choosing bits.

Casing While Drilling Contractor

• The underreamer can be rotated at 160 RPM without problems. The cutters wear after each run was not more than 20 %.
• It is important to check the seal and the springs of the float valve to prevent mud returns inside the casing.

Developments Needed
• Continue working with the bit supplier companies to design the appropriate bit for this project based on the lessons
learned captured by the use of the four bits in all the wells.
• Eliminate the drillout with a conventional BHA. The appropriate tools to perform the drillout with CWD tools must be
designed and delivered.
• Find alternatives to retrieve the BHA, such as wireline or coil tubing, to reduce flat times.
• Develop a pump down displacement plug to replace the cement retainer for the cementing job and eliminate the wireline
run to set it, which also eliminates the probability of downtime due to weather conditions when handling explosives.
• Improve the grounding for the LWD cabin to reduce the source of electric noise to the downhole signals.
SPE 134586 17

Conclusions
This technology brings the opportunity to develop a mature area economically with differentiating technology while improving the
drilling performance without additional exposure or loss of information.
The process of development of a fast learning curve can be applied to any drilling project anywhere in the world and the
lessons learned can also be exchanged making the application of this technology feasible in areas or projects where it was not
conceived possible.
This technology can be applied in all vertical or deviated wells where mud losses are anticipated. The success of the
application is owed to the fact that drilling does not stop, the tools in the drill-string and resources available allow to continue
drilling while curing, in parallel, the mud losses; making this application competitive against conventional drilling, and allowing to
drill safely through troublesome formations.
The success of the technology is heavily dependent upon the right application of drilling parameters and enhancements on the
technology that were already identified and proposed.

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Ecopetrol and Occidental management for their support of this project and this paper.
Additionally the authors would like to thank the support of the management of the various service companies committed to the
project and the contributions made by their representatives and all our colleagues at every level in the project.

References
1. Tessari. R. M., Madell, Garret, Warren, Tommy, “Drilling with Casing Promises Major Benefits”, Oil and Gas Journal, Vol.
97 No. 20, May 17, 1999, pp 58-62.
2. Laurent, M, Angman, P, and Oveson, D., “Hydraulic Rig Supports Casing Drilling”, World Oil, Sept. 1999, pp 61- 66.
3. Warren, Tommy M., Angman, Per, and Houtchens, Bruce. 2000. Casing Drilling Application Design Considerations. Paper
IADC/SPE 59179 presented at the IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 23-25
February.
4. Robert Strickler, Todd Mushovic, Tommy Warren, and Bill Lesso. 2005. Casing Directional Drilling Using a Rotary Steerable
System. Paper SPE/IADC 92195 presented at the SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition, Amsterdam, The
Netherlands, 23-25 February.